AT&T gets into the home automation game

AT&T (NYSE: T) is making it official that it too has a home automation plan with the launch of its newly created "Digital Life Services" group.

Taking its place in the AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets division, Digital Life Services is charged with creating a set of home services, including everything from energy management, security and healthcare.

While the service provider did not specify a timeline when services would be available, the group and the services it will eventually deliver will come out of AT&T Mobility's "Emerging Devices" division in Atlanta.

Even though the new services that Digital Life will develop are being done in its wireless group, AT&T plans to market the services to wireline customers.

Its foray into home automation should not come all that much of a surprise given the fact that last year it acquired Xanboo, one of the early home automation players. Previously, AT&T offered Xanboo's home services to Cingular customers for $199 a month in 2006, but that program was shut down not long after it debuted.

Of course, AT&T is not alone in its home automation desires. In addition to fellow telcos Frontier (NYSE: FTR) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), cable operators Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Shaw (NYSE: SJR) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) have also been aggressively pursuing a home automation service path in select markets.

What's attracting other traditional incumbent carriers and cable operators alike is they want to find another revenue source they can bundle with either their wireline or wireless service packages.

For more:- Gigaom has this article- Atlanta Journal-Constitution also has this article

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